Perspective & Perseverance - true love has a way of holding the line

Wedding photo June 1995, (me and Lisa) War Memorial Park Pass Christian Mississippi. Photo damaged by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The photo was found on the property within the debris of what was once our family home.

Perspective & Reinvention - True love has a way of holding the line - It is human nature to worry, to feel lost at times, and to lean on others to survive times of trauma, pain and loss. The last several months has been a whirlwind of emotion, chaos, and attempts in taking on many tasks to fill the void. However, I must put things into perspective in hopes of reinventing myself and finding the fire that has been of late lacking in the usual intensity. There were two truly devastating occurrences that had happened to my family over the years, on August 29th 2005, hurricane Katrina took away nearly everything that my family worked for and collected over the years. It took nearly two years to rebuild some assimilation of the life we had before. But we would be forever changed by the event. From that, we worked hard to once again put us in a place where we could breath again. However, fate has a funny way of trying us. In 2010, we endured a major loss, once again, when my company that I built from nothing to a 15 million valuated corporation was taken to task by what I deemed as a purposeful move by those I will not name. We went from the prospect of being well off with a new path before us, to trying to rise up from the ashes once again. Through all of this, my other half, my Lisa, stood by and with me all along the journey. Many other relationships would have crumbled under less intense circumstances. But true love has a way of holding the line, even under such life altering events. That was a life long reward in itself. Now with all of that which had occurred and after rebuilding more than once, those events are pale in comparison to my loss in 2025. Losing my Lisa, my best friend, my soul mate, and my partner on this journey was the most devastating thing that has ever happened to me. In that lies the Perspective and my need to once again rise from the ashes to reinvent myself. This time, not because I feel emboldened, but because I feel that all we had been through and all we endured together are what provides me strength as to make sure that all those efforts were not in vain. The most rewarding part of that journey we took together was that of our children, our grandchildren and our never losing faith. Until we meet again, my beautiful angel. In honor of her memory, I released two songs. One serves as a premonition of what was to come and the feelings that I now have and live with in a song called "Whispers Still", the other was written the day after her passing and is my swansong to her and the memory of her and our undying love "Forever My Love". - THE GEMINI MIND (MARK ALLEN LANOUE)